Saturday, December 17, 2005
I'm home!
and my oh my are there Christmas goodies to be had! hurry up and come on down siblings, because there are lots of things to share... and yippee! the next class I have to take is in Italy!
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
hip hip hooray!
Another exam done and now all that's left is to finish up my drawing final project and then work tomorrow morning and evening and Thursday morning, do some laundry and pack and fly home!!!!
I'm so ready!
I'm so ready!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
:)
All I have to say is that NPR's online holiday concerts are getting me through my paper so fast. I love Christmas music.
I can give my vote for the Chanticleer Christmas recorded December 21, 2004 and The Morehouse-Spelman Christmas Concert recorded December 20, 2004.
Very good music. And very ready to go study some flashcards now that my take home exam is done!
I can give my vote for the Chanticleer Christmas recorded December 21, 2004 and The Morehouse-Spelman Christmas Concert recorded December 20, 2004.
Very good music. And very ready to go study some flashcards now that my take home exam is done!
one almost done! (with one)
I'm almost done (3/4ths) with my first exam. Yes its a take home, and I have another 600 words to write in the long essay part, but the 5 hours I spent in the library last night working on the 'short' answer part is done and all I have to do is finish my long essay. Not to bad for the day before exams...
As for the weather, I think its snowing again... and cold.... and snowing again. Did I mention the snow? I cannot wait to sit out on the deck and read my book in the sun, even if I have to wear a sweatshirt, its better than the grey!
Oh, and a random question, are crochet hooks allowed on planes anymore or will I have to check it? I have some hats to make as Christmas presents for friends and roommates over the holiday...
FIVE DAYS AND I'M HOME!!!!!
As for the weather, I think its snowing again... and cold.... and snowing again. Did I mention the snow? I cannot wait to sit out on the deck and read my book in the sun, even if I have to wear a sweatshirt, its better than the grey!
Oh, and a random question, are crochet hooks allowed on planes anymore or will I have to check it? I have some hats to make as Christmas presents for friends and roommates over the holiday...
FIVE DAYS AND I'M HOME!!!!!
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Getting there...
Well, I have to say that I think this semester has been one of the most difficult of my schooling carrer. I know I over extended myself, and it sucks a little to realize how much is left, but at the same time, my BFA review went well, and while I haven't had a chance to talk to the professor I was assigned and hear the critical feed back, I heard from numerous profs that they thought my work was excellent and that I showed that I had really been working hard. So, when I get stressed out, and I'm freaking about what I have left to do, it is nice to remember that it is for something, and that my work is being recognized. On the flip side, I think what is most difficult for me knowing I have my art history exams coming up is that I don't see the final result like I do in a studio class. But I do know they are extremely worthwile and I do enjoy learning.
So, its down to three exams, two final class critiques, an individual final critique, and plane ride home only six days away (of course I never count today, its almost over. Not really but six is better than seven) :)
So, its down to three exams, two final class critiques, an individual final critique, and plane ride home only six days away (of course I never count today, its almost over. Not really but six is better than seven) :)
Friday, December 09, 2005
...
I had to get up at 7:00am this morning to get in to work by 8:00am.
I was up till 3:00am in the art basement setting up my work.
I'm falling asleep at work.
Today's the BFA reviews.
I have exams starting in three days.
Oh boy...
I was up till 3:00am in the art basement setting up my work.
I'm falling asleep at work.
Today's the BFA reviews.
I have exams starting in three days.
Oh boy...
Thursday, December 08, 2005
arrgh...
The artist statement has gone through another round of editing... it is now more concise, but I'm not sure it really says what I want it to. Well, I guess there's just more to write in my lengthy artist statement next year... the art studio senior seminar students have to write a 15 page artist statement. yep, that's a lot.
My Artist Statement
Well, here it is, at long last, my artist statement that I had to write for my review. Let me know what you all think.
Sorry it's kind of long, but I have a lot to say. Oh and the second gas firing went well, we unloaded it today and it all looks good!
Artist Statement:
In the art work I have been producing this semester I have attempted to deal with the boundary between the physical and the spiritual. As a Christian, this means asking two questions. Where does God come to me? and Where do I meet God? These two questions, I believe are radically different. Best explained by the writer Anne Lamott, my understanding of God and his grace comes often in the mundane, small things of life; the created ‘stuff’ that so often goes unnoticed. This is where I feel like I meet God, in the everyday small things where I can begin to understand who this creator God is. It is in this understanding that my functional ceramics are situated. The mundane of a mug, I believe, can show the goodness of a creative God, working through me, just as much as a figurative sculpture.
On the other hand, I see God coming to me in a different way; he comes to me in my heart and in my mind. I know that God loves me, and I know that I am created by him; this is the knowledge of my heart. So often though, my mind can not understand that knowledge, and in this way God speaks to me where I am most vulnerable, in my fallen human self where my understanding is flawed and my mind limited by what I can understand about an unlimited God. This problem of understanding the creator God, I believe is deeply rooted in the idea of humans being image bearers of God and how despite the goodness of creation our understanding of God had been disrupted, and what significance that has on our interactions and daily lives. It is in this half of my interaction with God that I find other individuals explanations most useful, to verbalize what I cannot.
Kasimir Malevich, in his essay titled “Suprematism” discusses the losing of the physical and the spiritual that comes from this nothingness, where there are no symbols or artistic conventions. While I agree with him that the idea of the spiritual is often lost in our modern world when we become so busy with the clutter of everyday life, there is a profound difference in my beliefs. Where Malevich wants to rid himself of the physical to find this spiritual, I believe that because we are made in the image of God, there is good to be found in the physical. In addition, because of the goodness of the creation, there is something worthwhile about the physical. This is one of the reasons that I am exploring the figurative form. While there are issues with the fallen body, the fact that we are made in the image of God, I believe reveals that there is an inherent goodness to our physicality.
An artist who I feel captures this sense of the goodness of the physical in his work, albeit in a very different way, is Felix Gonzales Torres. While Minimalist in their appearance, Torres’ works represent the physical and the emotional in ways never envisioned by the minimalist originators. His sculptural works to tend to be critiques of society’s treatment of certain bodies, specifically those individuals affected by AIDS and the resulting struggles and eventual death, but there is still an inherent hope that exists in his work. Mundane objects are transformed into objects that represent love, loss, grief and so many human emotions. Maybe more poignant is the lack of the human figure in Torres’s work, but nevertheless, his work shows what it is to be human and what it is to deal with the body. This is expressed for me in my abstracted sculptural works which tend to be composite works like Torres’ and made up of small, simple components. And while conceptually dealing with the body, these works of mine do not deal with naturalistic human physicality.
Sorry it's kind of long, but I have a lot to say. Oh and the second gas firing went well, we unloaded it today and it all looks good!
Artist Statement:
In the art work I have been producing this semester I have attempted to deal with the boundary between the physical and the spiritual. As a Christian, this means asking two questions. Where does God come to me? and Where do I meet God? These two questions, I believe are radically different. Best explained by the writer Anne Lamott, my understanding of God and his grace comes often in the mundane, small things of life; the created ‘stuff’ that so often goes unnoticed. This is where I feel like I meet God, in the everyday small things where I can begin to understand who this creator God is. It is in this understanding that my functional ceramics are situated. The mundane of a mug, I believe, can show the goodness of a creative God, working through me, just as much as a figurative sculpture.
On the other hand, I see God coming to me in a different way; he comes to me in my heart and in my mind. I know that God loves me, and I know that I am created by him; this is the knowledge of my heart. So often though, my mind can not understand that knowledge, and in this way God speaks to me where I am most vulnerable, in my fallen human self where my understanding is flawed and my mind limited by what I can understand about an unlimited God. This problem of understanding the creator God, I believe is deeply rooted in the idea of humans being image bearers of God and how despite the goodness of creation our understanding of God had been disrupted, and what significance that has on our interactions and daily lives. It is in this half of my interaction with God that I find other individuals explanations most useful, to verbalize what I cannot.
Kasimir Malevich, in his essay titled “Suprematism” discusses the losing of the physical and the spiritual that comes from this nothingness, where there are no symbols or artistic conventions. While I agree with him that the idea of the spiritual is often lost in our modern world when we become so busy with the clutter of everyday life, there is a profound difference in my beliefs. Where Malevich wants to rid himself of the physical to find this spiritual, I believe that because we are made in the image of God, there is good to be found in the physical. In addition, because of the goodness of the creation, there is something worthwhile about the physical. This is one of the reasons that I am exploring the figurative form. While there are issues with the fallen body, the fact that we are made in the image of God, I believe reveals that there is an inherent goodness to our physicality.
An artist who I feel captures this sense of the goodness of the physical in his work, albeit in a very different way, is Felix Gonzales Torres. While Minimalist in their appearance, Torres’ works represent the physical and the emotional in ways never envisioned by the minimalist originators. His sculptural works to tend to be critiques of society’s treatment of certain bodies, specifically those individuals affected by AIDS and the resulting struggles and eventual death, but there is still an inherent hope that exists in his work. Mundane objects are transformed into objects that represent love, loss, grief and so many human emotions. Maybe more poignant is the lack of the human figure in Torres’s work, but nevertheless, his work shows what it is to be human and what it is to deal with the body. This is expressed for me in my abstracted sculptural works which tend to be composite works like Torres’ and made up of small, simple components. And while conceptually dealing with the body, these works of mine do not deal with naturalistic human physicality.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
O Christmas tree...
A Holiday Poem for my Family titled
'Stalling' or 'I Love Christmas' or 'Tomorrow Is My Last Day of Class!'
I've had Christmas music in my head for two days.
It really is something that just stays and stays.
I'm not really sure how all the songs go,
But then when I hear them I think, OH NO!
It's only two days till the time is near,
My BFA review instills in me great fear.
My work is all done, there's nothing more to do,
But unload a kiln and whip up a drawing or two.
And then I get thinking of eighteen days hence,
When all of my family will be within the same fence.
And together we will share some holiday cheer
and try not to fight, or drink too much beer.
:) For you guys...
'Stalling' or 'I Love Christmas' or 'Tomorrow Is My Last Day of Class!'
I've had Christmas music in my head for two days.
It really is something that just stays and stays.
I'm not really sure how all the songs go,
But then when I hear them I think, OH NO!
It's only two days till the time is near,
My BFA review instills in me great fear.
My work is all done, there's nothing more to do,
But unload a kiln and whip up a drawing or two.
And then I get thinking of eighteen days hence,
When all of my family will be within the same fence.
And together we will share some holiday cheer
and try not to fight, or drink too much beer.
:) For you guys...
Monday, December 05, 2005
guess that tune!
OK, so what song is running through my head right now?
that's right that loverly classic "Another One Bites the Dust"...
Another paper done, another project finished, both ready to be turned in tomorrow for classes...
Another kiln stacked (that's the second gas firing in a week), and lit, and tomorrow I'll go in early (but not too early, this time around 8:00 am) and turn up the heat,a and spend the day nervously attending it, as I have two major pieces in it that I need to turn out for my BFA review on Friday... Coincidentally, Friday morning should be the right time to open the kiln! Talk about cutting it close...
So aside from the Art History flash cards I have yet to make to review for my exam a week from today (there are 260 cards total), and the BFA statement and title cards, and works to set up for Friday morning, and the agonizing hours while the Faculty deliberates, and the final drawing project that I have to finish.... Well I'm almost there!
At least the end is in sight...
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim, swim....
Set that to music and you're my hero... and that folks is my life's soundtrack right now... :)
that's right that loverly classic "Another One Bites the Dust"...
Another paper done, another project finished, both ready to be turned in tomorrow for classes...
Another kiln stacked (that's the second gas firing in a week), and lit, and tomorrow I'll go in early (but not too early, this time around 8:00 am) and turn up the heat,a and spend the day nervously attending it, as I have two major pieces in it that I need to turn out for my BFA review on Friday... Coincidentally, Friday morning should be the right time to open the kiln! Talk about cutting it close...
So aside from the Art History flash cards I have yet to make to review for my exam a week from today (there are 260 cards total), and the BFA statement and title cards, and works to set up for Friday morning, and the agonizing hours while the Faculty deliberates, and the final drawing project that I have to finish.... Well I'm almost there!
At least the end is in sight...
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim, swim....
Set that to music and you're my hero... and that folks is my life's soundtrack right now... :)
Friday, December 02, 2005
The final push
Well, the final push has begun for me. A week until I have my BFA review, and then a week of exams and I'm home. That of course means I have a lot of work to finish up in the next week, but I think it's doable. It better be at least.
For those of you interested in the kiln firing results, I am sorry, but I don't have a digital camera so I can't take any pictures for you, but trust me it was a good one!
Now, it's time for some homework at the Curriculum Center. And then after work its down to the Art Department to finish glazing my work and maybe make a stand for a piece for my review. Then I'll be heading home to work on a paper for the rest of the day and all day tomorrow!
Hope your day is a packed as mine, and it's only 22 days till Christmas!
For those of you interested in the kiln firing results, I am sorry, but I don't have a digital camera so I can't take any pictures for you, but trust me it was a good one!
Now, it's time for some homework at the Curriculum Center. And then after work its down to the Art Department to finish glazing my work and maybe make a stand for a piece for my review. Then I'll be heading home to work on a paper for the rest of the day and all day tomorrow!
Hope your day is a packed as mine, and it's only 22 days till Christmas!
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